2020 Pegasus Awards Winners

PRSA DALLAS HONORS TOP COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGNS AND PROFESSIONALS WITH 2020 PEGASUS AWARDS

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Dallas Chapter recently honored outstanding public relations and strategic communication efforts with its 2020 Pegasus Awards.

In total, more than 35 awards were given in a range of categories representing Programs, Projects and Special Awards. One Pegasus Award and up to three Awards of Honor were awarded in each category.

Top “Best of Show” honors were awarded in the Programs division to Three Box Strategic Communications for its campaign, “Capturing Thought Leadership in a Time of Financial Uncertainty.”  Buckner Retirement Services took the top honor in the Projects division for the entry, “Support Senior Living.”

Special Awards were given to Morgan Gunnels, Young PR Pro of the Year, Hill+Knowlton for Large Agency of the Year, Idea Grove for Small Agency of the Year, Children’s Health for Small In-House or Corporate Team of the Year. Additionally, Brooke Traister, APR received the Norm Teich Award and Amanda Tower was presented the President’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Chapter.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS AND SPECIAL AWARDS DESCRIPTIONS

Programs - multifaceted campaigns that use several strategies and tactics to reach an objective.

Community Relations
Award of Honor
• Choctaw Nation
   Choctaw Nation 2020 Census Campaign

Pegasus Award
• Buckner Retirement Services
   Buckner Parkway Place “Life, Experienced”

Events and Observances
Award of Honor
• World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth
   H. Neil Mallon Awards 2019
• Children’s Health
   Children’s Health 2019 Beyond ABC Symposium Spurs Critical Dialogue about Mental Health
• Buckner International
   Buckner Tornado Candlelight Vigil for Bachman Lake

Pegasus Award
• True REST Float Spa
   True REST Float Spa’s 2019 Veterans Day Campaign

Internal Communications
Pegasus Award
• MORSCO
   Communicating COVID: MORSCO's Internal Communications Response to the Pandemic

Marketing Communications
Award of Honor
• SPM Communications for Madison Reed
   Turning Heads for Madison Reed
• Buckner International
   Special Needs Children – Foster Care and Adoption
• A. Larry Ross Communications on behalf of Gordon College
   Gordon College: Faith Rising

Pegasus Award
• Three Box Strategic Communications
   Capturing Though Leadership in a Time of Financial Uncertainty

Most Effective Campaign
Award of Honor
• A. Larry Ross Communications on behalf of LifeWay Films
   Creating Viral Support for “Free Burma Rangers”
• Texas Baptist Men
   TBM Feeding Texans

Pegasus Award
• TrizCom on behalf of Heroes for Children
   The Heart of a Hero

Crisis Communications
Award of Honor
• Richards Partners on Behalf of Discount Tire
   Discount Tire 2020 Crisis Communication
• SMP Communications for Gold’s Gym
   Crisis During a Crisis: Turning Two Negatives into a Positive
• A. Larry Ross Communications on behalf of Empowered21
   Going Digital in the Age of Corona: Empowered21 Global Congress 2020

Pegasus Award
• Buckner Retirement Services
   Senior Living Response to COVID-19

Public Service
Award of Honor
• Dallas Regional Chamber and Hill+Knowlton Strategies
   DRC Emmitt Smith PSA Campaign

Pegasus Award
• Buckner International
   Texas Boy Adopted After Half His Life in Foster Care

Public Affairs
Pegasus Award
• Hill+Knowlton Strategies
   ABOTA Public Safety Campaign

Best of Show Programs
• Three Box Strategic Communications
   Capturing Thought Leadership in a Time of Financial Uncertainty

Projects - a single tactic developed as an individual component of a comprehensive campaign.

Media Relations
Award of Honor
• Children’s Health
   Children’s Health Sparks Change, Awareness with Mental Health PR
• A. Larry Ross Communications on behalf of The Source
   The Source Launches with a Splash on the Front Page of the Washington Post
• TruePoint Communications
    Launching Telemedicine in the Midst of a Global Pandemic

Pegasus Award
• Buckner Retirement Services
    Support Senior Living

Digital Communications
Award of Honor
• TruePoint Communications
    Thought Leadership in a Crisis

Pegasus Award
• Buckner International
    Buckner International Website Homepage Redesign

Most Effective Influencer Promotion
Pegasus Award
• Three Box Strategies Communications
    Tapping Influencer Relations to Build Holiday Buzz

Best of Show Projects
• Buckner Retirement Services
    Support Senior Living

Special Awards
Young PR Pro of the Year was awarded to Morgan Gunnels, Senior Account Executive at TruePoint Communications. Her first entry into PR was as a Marketing Intern for Children’s Medical Center Dallas in 2015. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Missouri with a B.A. in Journalism and minor in Business, she moved back to her hometown of Dallas and started with TruePoint as a Public Relations Intern. Over the course of her time with TruePoint, Morgan has climbed the ranks to Senior Account Executive at breakneck speed -- just under two years. In 2020 alone, she secured 1.3 billion media impressions thus far.

Large Agency of the Year was bestowed on Hill+Knowlton. Despite the pandemic of 2020, a unified spirit marked the work of Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) over the past year. Its Dallas office, deeply familiar with corporate affairs, media relations and crisis response, took on a stream of ambitious projects that achieved measurable, significant changes here and nationwide.

Small Agency of the Year was bestowed on Idea Grove. In the past year, the Idea Grove team has adopted an accelerated and strategic growth plan, starting with an emphasis on strengthening operations and increasing revenue. Not only was Idea Grove able to avoid any layoffs, furloughs or pay cuts, but, by late June 2020, Idea Grove had more new client contracts in review than the entire previous half of the year.

Small In-House or Corporate Team of the Year was bestowed on Children’s Health. Make life better for children. That’s the mission at Children’s Health, one of the largest and most prestigious pediatric health care providers in the country and the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas. The external communications team accomplishes this mission one news story, social media post and innovative campaign at a time. All while laddering up to the non-profit health system’s business objectives of enhancing care and consumer experience, growing volume and market share, and reducing the cost of care while improving the health of the community. And their work this past year –amidst the COVID-19 pandemic –has been a true testament to their mission.

Norm Teich Award was awarded to Brooke Traister, APR. The honor is given each year to a PRSA Dallas member who demonstrates Norm's drive and involvement in volunteerism and community service.

President’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Chapter was given to Amanda Tower. The award is given annually to a member who has gone above and beyond to serve the Chapter.

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About PRSA Dallas
Chartered in 1947, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the world’s largest and foremost organization of public relations professionals. PRSA Dallas, a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization, is one of the largest and most active chapters of PRSA, serving more than 450 public relations practitioners in the North Texas area. The chapter strives to help members become more successful by providing opportunities to connect with other professionals who practice public relations for corporations, public relations firms, government agencies, health and medical entities, nonprofits and other organizations. By promoting the highest standards of professional competence and ethics, PRSA Dallas has created a close-knit network of professionals who come together to learn, grow and become leaders in the industry. www.prsadallas.org.